Page 813 - Politics
Congress fields Hooda father-son, Bhajan Lal kin in Haryana
Raising the bar for itself for the Lok Sabha elections in Haryana, the Congress on Sunday announced the name of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for the Sonipat seat and Bhavya Bishnoi, a grandson of former Haryana strongman Bhajan Lal, for the Hisar seat.
Panda was busy promoting own industries as MP: Patnaik
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Sunday hit out at Baijayant Panda, the BJP candidate from Kendrapara Lok Sabha seat, accusing him of promoting his own industries during his tenure as MP. Addressing a poll rally at Rajnagar under the Kendrapara Lok Sabha constituency, the CM said, "I had nominated a young and educated man (Panda) to represent people in Parliament. I had reposed trust in him. But, he let me down." Panda was elected to Lok Sabha twice from Kendrapara in 2009 and 2014 on a BJD ticket. He was also a two-time Rajya Sabha MP from 2000 to 2009. However, he fell out of favour and was suspended from the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD last year on charges of anti-party activities. He subsequently resigned from the BJD as well as from the Lok Sabha, and joined the BJP ahead of the polls. The saffron party made him the national vice-president and official spokesperson of the party. It also nominated him from the Kendrapara Lok Sabha seat. "Kendrapara is the only coastal
Election to Odisha's Patkura assembly seat adjourned
Election to the Patkura Assembly constituency in Odisha's Kendrapara district has been adjourned following the death of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) candidate Bed Prakash Agarwalla, a poll official said on Sunday.
Comedian Zelensky wins Ukraine presidency in landslide
A comedian with no political experience won a landslide victory in Ukraine's presidential election Sunday, exit polls showed, dealing a stunning rebuke to the country's political establishment. Volodymyr Zelensky, whose only previous political role was playing the president on television, trounced incumbent Petro Poroshenko by taking 73 per cent of the vote, according to exit polls conducted by several think tanks. Poroshenko lost to the television star across all regions of the country, including in the west where he traditionally enjoyed strong support. It was an extraordinary outcome to a campaign that started as a joke but struck a chord with voters frustrated by poverty, corruption and a five-year war that has claimed some 13,000 lives. The 41-year-old star of TV series "Servant of the People" will now take the helm of a country of 45 million people beset by challenges and having run on the vaguest of political platforms. After taking the most votes in last month's first-round ...
BJP's Naresh Agrawal wants Amit Shah as PM; another leader says vote for 'cycle'
BJP leader Naresh Agrawal on Sunday expressed his 'desire' to make party president Amit Shah the prime minister, while another leader Ashok Vajpayee appealed to the people to vote for 'cycle.'All this 'goof-up' took place during an election rally here in which Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was also present."I want to tell you all, please do not get carried away by religion and caste. I want to appeal to people from 'Satsang Samaj' that to make Narendra Modi Prime Minister once again, please stand in the queue on polling stations since morning on April 29. Press the 'cycle' button to make Prime Minister Narendra Modi win (Cycle Wali Button Dabakar Modiji Ko Jeetane Ka Kaam Karna)," he said.Addressing the same gathering, BJP leader Naresh Agrawal said: "Mayawati is fighting on 36 seats and Akhilesh is fighting on 38 seats. Which masters have trained them that those fighting on 38 seats are thinking to become the Prime Minister?""Maybe they have found some "jugaad." But please declare ..
Violence in Odisha increasing day-by-day: Dharmendra Pradhan
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday said that violence is increasing day-by-day in the state.Pradhan today met Election Commission officials and demanded an investigation on an alleged attack on Jagannath Pradhan, BJP MLA candidate from Bhubaneswar Central."Violence in Odisha is increasing day-by-day. Today, BJP MLA candidate from Bhubaneswar Central, Jagannath Pradhan was attacked for the third time. A bomb was hurled at his car. We met EC officials and demanded that an investigation should be ordered," Pradhan told ANI.Polls for 21 Lok Sabha and 147 Assembly seats in Odisha have been scheduled to be held in four phases.The first two phases were held on April 11 and April 18. The remaining two phases will be held on April 23 and 29. The result will be announced on May 23.
Congress fooled the citizens for 70 years: Nitin Gadkari
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday while addressing a public rally in Baramati Constituency here alleged that Congress has only fooled the people of this country in the period of 70 years.Gadkari said: "In these 70 years period Congress has just fooled the people of this country. Projects that had been left half by NCP-Congress by taking 10% advance were later completed by our party."Pointing out at the developments during the BJP tenure, Gadkari said: "Today this country has changed. Metro was bought in public service. We also brought the double-decker bus whose capacity is even more than that of a metro train.""We have to decide that....when Mumbai attack took place so many people died. We all condemned that attack. I want to ask people whether you want a prime minister who kneels down next to terrorism or you want a prime minister who stands strong and react," he further added.The Lok Sabha polls for 48 parliamentary seats in Maharashtra began on April 11. It has been staggered
Sri Lanka terror attack 'affront' to universal freedoms: US
The United States denounced the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka as an affront to universal values and confirmed that many of its citizens were among the victims.
Iran leader appoints new head of revolutionary guards
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has appointed a new head of the Revolutionary Guards, the country's ideological military force, Khamenei's official website reported late Sunday. Major General Hossein Salami, 58, replaces Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, who had headed the Guards since September 2007. The move comes less than two weeks after the United States branded Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps as a "foreign terrorist organisation", adding it to a blacklist. "Considering your capabilities and significant experience with different revolutionary responsibilities ... I promote you to major general and commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Guards," Khamenei's statement read. Salami, who had served as deputy head of the corps for nine years, is a veteran of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. He had also led the corps' airforce before becoming the second-in-command. The shuffle was caused by the "necessity of a change in Sepah's (the Guards' Farsi name) leadership" requested by
Giuliani: Trump camp did no wrong by taking Russian help
President Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani insisted Sunday the president's 2016 campaign did nothing wrong by taking information from the Russians, as House Democrats pledged stepped-up investigations into campaign misconduct and possible crimes of obstruction detailed in the special counsel's report. Giuliani called the Trump campaign's effort to get political help from representatives of the Russian government possibly ill-advised but not illegal. "There's nothing wrong with taking information from Russians," Giuliani said, referring to a June 2016 Trump Tower meeting involving Trump's son Donald Jr., son-in-law Jared Kushner and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort in which they sought from a lawyer linked to Russia harmful information on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Giuliani was rebutting Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, who said in a statement on Twitter Friday he was sickened by the findings from Mueller's 400-plus page report in the Russia ...
No problem with Bharat Mata Ki Jai but can't recite 'Vande Mataram': RJD's Abdul Bari Siddiqui
Senior RJD leader and former Bihar minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui stoked a controversy Sunday as he said he has no problem in chanting 'Bharat Mata ki Jai', but reciting national song Vande Mataram was against his beliefs. Siddiqui, who is contesting from the Darbhanga Lok Sabha seat, also dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to publicly denounce Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse, whom the RJD leader dubbed the country's "first terrorist". "Those who believe in one God will never recite 'Vande Mataram'," Siddiqui said, adding, he did not, however, have any problems with the slogan 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'. "Nathuram Godse, who killed Mahatma Gandhi, was the first terrorist of the country. Will Modi publicly condemn Godse?" he asked, referring to the assassin who allegedly had links with the RSS. Reacting to Siddiqui's statement, state BJP spokesman Nikhil Anand said the RJD leader wanted to hog limelight by targeting the prime minister. "Siddiqui is staring at an electoral defeat and ..
NIA questions two women from Wardha
A team of National Investigation Agency (NIA) officers questionned two women in Wardha in Maharashtra on Saturday and Sunday, a local police officer has said. The team of officers from Delhi and Hyderabad questionned the women on the basis of inputs provided by an accused who was arrested in Delhi Saturday, the Wardha crime branch officer said. The women, whose identity is not given, are residents of Mhasala area in Prabhudh Nagar in Wardha. Their statements were recorded on Saturday as well as on Sunday, and they were allowed to go, he said without elaborating. The NIA Saturday arrested a person from Delhi in connection with its probe against an ISIS-inspired group, which was allegedly planning suicide attacks and serial blasts, targeting politicians and government installations in Delhi and other parts of north India. The accused Mohammad Gufran, a resident of Amroha in western Uttar Pradesh (UP), was the 13th person to be arrested in the case. The NIA had said that ..
'Congress will restore National Security Advisory Board'
Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram said that if voted to power, his party will re-establish an empowered and fully equipped National Security Advisory Board.
After Jaitley debacle, BJP banks on Hardeep Puri in Amritsar
After witnessing the embarrassing defeat of its high-profile candidate Arun Jaitley in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday announced the name of Union Minister Hardeep Puri from the Amritsar seat for the May 19 parliamentary election.
LS polls: Congress fields Bhupinder Singh Hooda from Sonipat
The Congress party on Sunday released a list of five candidates for the Lok Sabha election in Haryana.The party has fielded Bhupinder Singh Hooda from Sonipat, Nirmal Singh from Kurukshetra, Bhavya Bishnoi from Hisar, Kuldeep Sharma from Karnal and Avtar Singh Bhadana from Faridabad.The third phase of the Lok Sabha election will be held on April 23. The election will be held in Haryana on May 12 in the sixth phase. The result will be announced on May 23.
Rahul Gandhi's real name is Rahul Vincy, says Yogi Adityanath
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday hit out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi, saying that his real name is Rahul Vincy."The Congress is hiding the details of Rahul Gandhi's citizenship," said Chief Minister Adityanath, while speaking at an election rally in Kanpur rural area."Rahul Gandhi's real name is Rahul Vincy. The Congress party is cheating people by hiding the real names of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra," he said."In Amethi, the Congress leaders worship in a temple while in Kerala they visit mosques...This is the dual nature of Congress."Adityanath said: "Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh once said that Muslims have the right over the country's resources. I want to ask the Congress that where should the rest of the population of the country go for resources."Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said: "Everywhere I go, I hear the slogan 'Phir Ek Baar, Modi Sarkar.' PM Modi talks of development for all, but the Congress talks of politics of ..
Don't want failed MP coming to Wayanad: Nirmala Sitharaman
Attacking Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday urged the people here to vote for BDJS candidate Tushar Vellappally and send across a message to Delhi and Amethi that "you do not want failed MP coming and parachuting into Wayanad.""Kerala should set an example. What happened during the floods? How much Wayanad suffered? A flood which only if were carefully managed by the LDP government. The Chief Minister should take personal responsibility for not having opened dams on time because of which the people suffered. The flood was totally avoidable," she said."Therefore, please vote for BDJS candidate Tushar Vellappally and send a message out of Kerala clearly heard till Delhi and Amethi - We want people from here. We do not want failed MP coming and parachuting into Wayanad," Sitharaman said while addressing a rally here."Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had said about the Muslim League that it is a dead horse. Today, his great-grandson comes to ride .
Pragya Thakur denies making defamatory comments on martyrs in reply to EC
BJP leader and party candidate from Bhopal, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur on Sunday denied making any defamatory comments on any martyr.In her reply to the show-cause notice issued by the Election Commission, Pragya said, "I didn't make any defamatory comments for any martyr. I had mentioned about the torture inflicted on me on orders of the then Congress government.""It's my right to put before the public what had happened to me," she added.She also alleged that her statement has been presented in a negative context by the media."I have already taken back my statement respecting the sentiments of the people," she said in her reply insisting that she did not make any comment which violated the Model Code of Conduct."I called Hemant Karkare and asked him to let me go if there is no evidence (against me). He said that he will bring evidence but will not leave me. I told him - you will be ruined," she had said on April 19.After receiving severe backlash from all quarters for her ...
LS polls: Cong fields Hooda from Sonipat, drops Nagar from Faridabad
The Congress Sunday announced candidates for five Lok Sabha seats in Haryana, fielding former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda from Sonipat and replacing Faridabad candidate Lalit Nagar with Avtar Singh Badhana. Nagar, who was dropped as Faridabad candidate, is said to be close to former Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra, the sources said. With the announcement of new list, the party has declared candidates for all ten Lok Sabha seats in Haryana besides a total of 413 candidates across the country. In Haryana, the party also fielded former state assembly Speaker Kuldeep Sharma from Karnal and Bhavya Bishnoi from Hisar Lok Sabha seats. Bhavya is the son of Kuldeep Bishnoi and the grandson of former Haryana Chief Minister Bhajan Lal. The Congress also nominated Nirmal Singh as the party candidate from Kurukshetra, replacing Naveen Jindal, who had unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. All 10 Lok Sabha seats of Haryana go to polls in ...
Poll officials grant permission to MNS' Mumbai South rally
Poll authorities have given a permission to Raj Thackeray-led MNS to hold a rally in Mumbai South Lok Sabha constituency next week. Authorities had reportedly denied permission to the rally earlier. The Mumbai city district election office Sunday said it has set up a single window clearance system for giving permission to election campaigning for all candidates. "Permissions to hold election meetings are given after following a due procedure. It is ensured that there is no injustice to anyone. The permission to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena has been given after following a due procedure," the election office said in a statement. In Mumbai South constituency, Shiv Sena's sitting MP Arvind Sawant is pitted against Mumbai Congress president Milind Deora. Though the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) is not contesting elections this time, Raj Thackeray has been holding rallies across Maharashtra appealing to people to vote against the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP